John
by Rose Tinted Contact Lenses
Summary: Two-parter. The breaking of an omni-tool causes Tali to make some rather surprising discoveries...
1. Talented

_Kind of a sequel - though it works fine as a standalone - to _Observation & Engineering.  
><em>Part two of this will be longer.<br>_

_The breaking of an omni-tool causes Tali to make some... interesting discoveries.  
>Feedback would be lovely!<br>_

**John**

**Part 1**

The sound of bullets echoes around the room. Shepard ducks into the nearest cover he can find. Ashley crouches beside him - he gives her a nod of acknowledgement. "How're you doing?"

"Prime nearly took me out, but I'm fine," she replies breathlessly.

He looks around, and suddenly notices something. "Hey, where's Tali?" He hears the telltale sound of quarian swearing and assault rifle fire nearby. "Right. Wait - shouldn't we be backing her up?"

Ashley seems, oddly, like she's trying not to laugh. "I... think she can handle herself, Shepard."

He comes out of cover to find Tali up against the last geth in the room. Taking out its shields, she pulls a couple of wires out of its arm, then riddles it with bullets; the fight is over as quickly as it began.

Ashley stands beside him, smirking at the look on his face. "Well, she's certainly... _talented_," he murmurs, still seeming a little in shock.

"Yup. I would _not _want to get on the wrong side of her."

He looks back at her, confusion apparent on his face. "Tali? She wouldn't hurt a fly."

Ashley rolls her eyes, and they keep moving.

* * *

><p>Kaidan frowns as he walks through the CIC. "Seen the Commander?"<p>

Pressley briefly glances up from his work. "Down in Engineering. With the quarian."

Kaidan pretends not to hear the disapproval dripping from the other man's voice. _Again? _Shepard makes sure to check in regularly with the crew, but he seems to spend most of the time he isn't working with Tali. Kaidan wonders if there's something between them, but dismisses it. After all, he can't even see her face - would he be interested?

* * *

><p>Commander J. Shepard, N7 graduate, celebrated survivor of Akuze and now elite Council Spectre, is standing in Engineering with an expression on his face that could only be described as... <em>sheepish. <em>"It..." He clears his throat, grasping for the correct terminology and failing miserably. _"Broke?"_

Tali looks up from examining his omni-tool; she cocks her head, and, without seeing her face, he can hear laughter in her voice. "Shepard, poking it a lot will _not _make it work."

_Damn. _She saw that? He was taught rudimentary hacking and tech skills when he enlisted, and again in the N7 programme, but he can't be called _gifted. _To be honest, he can barely be called _able_, and it shows. He is eager to learn, however, which is part of why he comes down here so often.

"You've caused a 6.52 system error..." She sees the blank look he gives her, and shakes her head - he swears she's rolling her eyes under that mask. "Come here and I'll show you."

Tali sighs. Shepard is bright, but he's also a seasoned soldier, and very efficient at killing things - including, unfortunately, all his tech.

He moves to stand by her shoulder, frowning at his omni-tool, and, as she explains it very, _very _slowly, with lots of three-fingered hand-gestures, understanding begins to dawn.

* * *

><p>Kaidan arrives in the drive core room and is taken aback by the sight of Shepard and Tali standing together examining an omni-tool. Face illuminated by its orange glow, he can't help but think how <em>content <em>Shepard - wait, is that _smoke? _

_"Keelah!" _Tali exclaims loudly.

Shepard looks at her, confused. "Tali?" He suddenly realises how much of her personal space he's taking up - if she wasn't masked, they'd be almost nose-to-nose - and promptly steps back, professional enough to disguise his embarrassment.

Finding herself feeling equally awkward, and almost - _disappointed? _No, that can't be right - Tali explains disbelievingly, "You _broke _an omni-tool. They aren't meant to _be _breakable."

Hearing a gruff laugh from behind him, Shepard turns to find Alenko standing in the doorway, and strides off to greet him. "Sorry," he says to Tali, "it's... important. I'll see you around."

She watches him go, sighing. Their talks are the highlight of her days aboard the Normandy - not that she'd ever tell _him_ that, of course - it would sound ridiculous, and might... give him the wrong idea about things. About what she thinks of him. Once again appreciating her mask - she can't be seen blushing - she clears her throat, even though she's said nothing aloud (wait, did she ever do that before she met Shepard? Is she picking up her friend's _human habits _now?) and returns to her work, taking out her own omni-tool.

She stops. _Wait. _She just called him her _friend. _He stopped being "the strange human" a while ago, and, now she looks back, he _has_ been a good friend to her...

The omni-tool shows signs of hundreds of modifications and repairs, and is slightly battered, but it works nearly as well as the new model. She sighs - it was her mother's, and just looking at it brings back memories: songs sung over the hums and whirrs of a Fleet ship, the soft touch of her mother's un-gloved hands... _un-gloved._ Part of what cost her her life. The memories turn bitter, and she pretends to be busy.

* * *

><p>Shepard stands in front of the Galaxy Map, deep in thought. "Joker?"<p>

The pilot's trademark drawl comes from the PA. "Commander?"

"Let's make a stop at the Citadel."

* * *

><p>Tali jumps at the sound of Shepard's voice. "Got a minute?"<p>

_Part two will arrive on Monday night.  
><em>


	2. Two Things Are Infinite

_I know I said this chapter would be longer, but things have been a bit hectic..._

_Since the orange "glove" is purely holographic, I've always imagined an omni-tool as a small chip that expands when you do something like press a button. I may be completely wrong - have the game writers said something about it?_

_Anyway, story..._

**John**

**Part 2**

The Citadel is crowded and bustling; Shepard, gritting his teeth, pretends not to notice the looks Tali receives as they search for a new omni-tool, hoping that she's oblivious - heck, if _this _is what's been happening since she started her pilgrimage, no wonder she barely used to talk to any of the crew.

He hopes in vain. "Thirteen," she mutters, so quietly he nearly doesn't hear her.

"Tali?"

"That's the thirteenth stare since we've arrived," she explains, trying to keep her voice steady.

There is a pause, and then he speaks, musing. "You know, I was once told something - a quote from Einstein. Went something like this: 'Only two things are infinite - the universe and stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe.'" He leaves out the "human" part before stupidity, since they - and it's definitely _they, _almost like he's committing a crime by being with her - are receiving this treatment from quite a few species.

She catches the short intake of breath at the end of the sentence - almost an attempt at a laugh. She looks at him, and he can sense the question in her body language.

"In this sense, I think it means that there are always prejudices, Tali," he explains, swerving round a completely unaware, loudly swearing salarian. "Whatever people don't understand, there are always some who choose to hate it. I've seen it with the way some people regard humanity - stupid, ignorant. Too young, too quick to reach for a trigger. And I've seen it with your experiences, yet..." (He gestures to her, and she suddenly feels self-conscious) "... you're one of the most honourable people I know. The longer I'm with you, the more stereotypes you prove wrong. I'm glad I met you." He stops, seeming embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wow, that was... a lecture. Sorry."

Being called honourable, and him saying he's happy to know her, have brought the biggest smile to her face in weeks, but, of course, he can't see it. She also _really _wishes that the man who has faced down geth, negotiated Council meetings calmly, and become humanity's first Spectre, normally so confident on the battlefield, would stop apologising for himself. "I... guess that makes sense." She also thinks that she should _really _do some research on human culture, since she keeps telling him about her own - she has no idea who this "Einstein" is.

As they spot a likely shop and take a look around, he can't help seeing how carefully the salarian at the counter watches them, and the moment Tali picks up a small chip and turns it over to examine it, he is by their side. Watching his eyes keep darting to Tali's hands - does he honestly think she'd try and shoplift with him _next _to them? - as he talks about its capabilities, Shepard can't help but feel a small flare of annoyance. He doesn't have a short fuse, however, and so pushes it aside easily, trying to listen.

As he pays and Tali walks off to look at some armour, the salarian leans over to him confidentially, saying in a low voice, "I'm sure she's very grateful - at least she hasn't gone the way of the others. I mean, all my stock is still here, right?"

If Saren could be defeated with a look, the battle would be over right here and now. "It's for me, thanks - she was advising me. She earns a good salary; it'd certainly be enough to buy all of your stock..." He stops for a minute, as if calculating something. "... And maybe a small shuttle."

He steps out of the shop, exhaling, knowing he shouldn't have risen to it. _But damn, it felt good..._

Tali falls into step beside him. "Thanks, Shepard."

But she'd been over there... "Oh." He remembers the radio receivers in their armour. "No problem." He throws her a smile. She's struck with something she can't quite name, and, for the first time since they arrived, she's happy she came here.

Something occurs to him, and he stops. He calls _her _ by her first name, she's not in the Alliance, and they've known each other for _weeks -_ this is getting ridiculous. "Tali," he says in mock exasperation, trying not to laugh, "my name is _John._"

* * *

><p>That night, she thinks. Does anyone <em>else <em>call him that? She's never heard them. Is it a gesture of trust? Searching the extranet for information about Albert Einstein, she has to admit that it's pretty unlikely she'd do this for anyone else. Or obsess over whether to call them their given name. She looks at the time, and sighs. She remembers how _happy _she felt back on the Citadel, and something she's been trying not to realise for quite a while now hits her.

_Oh,_ _keeelaaah... _

There are plenty of eligible quarians on the Fleet - and a few have been interested, though she's sure it's only because her father's an Admiral - but _no,_ she has to fall for a _human. _Not that it matters to her, but...

What will the Fleet think, if they ever find out?

The thought keeps her awake all night.


End file.
